Greg

[Frannie5252]

John and Thomas Greg were merchants in Belfast as early as 1774 along with Waddell Cunningham. I don't know if they owned ships or not, but by reading the Belfast Newsletter index, I am guessing they were. Maybe owned the ship Snow Betty. I also read that Thomas' son John went to New York in 1778.
There was an Andrew Gregg in Ballyarnet in 1785.
Cunningham Gregg in Belfast in 1792.
I also read that Thomas Greg had land in New York, U.S.A. and that Thomas was from Belfast. Don't  know if this is the same Thomas who was a merchant in Belfast. Andrew Gregg and James Thompson were Londonderry ship owners
Cunningham Gregg was merchant in 1792, Belfast.
John Cunningham was a Belfast merchant in 1795 and BNL mentioned him having a brother named Sam.
BNL_ Thomas Greg probate 1767-1827.
Cunningham Greg probate in 1827 Antrim, Ireland.
The reason I posted this information is because I have been researching information on my 4th great grandfather William Greg who left Northern Ireland in the area of Ballymoney with a John Greg. They boarded at the port of Larne in Oct. 1772 and landed in Charlestown in Dec. 1772 on the ship Lord Dunluce. There were others on the ship with the same surname. They were Mary, Jane, and Ninian Greg. This Greg family left with the 5 ships commissioned by the Rev. William Martin from co. Antrim in N.I. more than likely to escape high land rent prices and the low wages of linen workers at that time.
Rev. William Martin's party of ships were mostly Presbyterian who wanted to leave Ireland for religious freedom and unknown opportunities in the new land.
William Greg was given land in S.C. the U.S.A. in Newberry co. His wife's name was Jane.
I am only guessing that William and family came from Lisburn, Londonderry, or Coleraine. I have no idea how far apart these places are, but they knew Rev. martin so I'd say they were of his congregation.
William Greg was born abt.1743 and was associated with the McCalla family from N.I.
That is where I stand on finding the parents of my William Greg and Greg is how he spelled his name as well as John on the letter of appreciation to the Rev. and ship master, but when they reached S.C I saw there name spelled either Gregg or Gragg in census records.
If anyone is related or could help me out on this matter I would be very grateful. I am getting closer and closer but can't get there.
Thank you all and I am proud to be a new member of your friends and researchers.
Frances Gragg Warren

[TheWhuttle]

Hello Frances,

Welcome to the Roots Chat community!

Not related, but I did have an extensive firtle around the GREG family when helping Raydale out a while back.
[Simply execute a Find on "cunningham greg boyd" to locate the topic in this Antrim conference.]

Hopefully you will find some of it of interest/use.
[You are welcome to any of the productions mentioned therein.]

Not sure that that information will help you directly with your research goals though ...

----
Arthur DOBBS, from a landed family of Ballynure/Carrickfergus, was a major land holder and Governor of South Carolina in the 18thC.  He encouraged many of his compatriots to join him.
Plenty online, e.g. http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/14/entry

Capt. Jock

[Frannie5252]

thank you Capt. Jock.
I will check out Cunningham Gregg Boyd. Seems there would be a connection there since there was a Cunningham Greg.
Again. thank you.
Frances Gragg

[TheWhuttle]

Frances,

A good history of the GREG family of Belfast, written by a descendant, can be read online:

"From Smuggling to Cotton Kings - The GREG Story"
http://issuu.com/tonytingle/docs/9780956510228_content

Lots there in the early pages about the trading links with the West Indies and New York.
Also, the partnerships with the controversial Waddell CUNNINGHAM.

Couldn't see any mention of anyone heading off to Ballymoney, though.

Annoyingly, the final page showing the family tree does not display!
[Perhaps you could try contacting the author ...]

----
He may have gleaned his information from:
R. P. Greg, ‘The genealogical history and traditions of the family of Greg’, Man. CL

Mentioned as a source in the DNB's entry for Samuel GREG, Cotton Manufacturer.
Mary B. Rose, ‘Greg, Samuel (1758–1834)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2012 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/59911]

Capt. Jock

[Frannie5252]

I did Google Waddell Cunningham and came up with some info. I think it was the book you mentioned.
I'll check it out again.
I really don't know if this is my ancestors or not but they were the only ones I found who spelled their surname like my Greggs did.

[silveryfox]

I did Google Waddell Cunningham and came up with some info. I think it was the book you mentioned.
I'll check it out again.
I really don't know if this is my ancestors or not but they were the only ones I found who spelled their surname like my Greggs did.

Hi Frances

From the book Defying Empire (Trading with the Enemy in Colonial New York by Thomas M. Truxes:

"Cunningham Waddell (1729-1797) The de facto leader of the Irish merchant community in New York, he was a prime instigator of the Spencer riot and was prosecuted for trading with the enemy and assaulting a fellow merchant"

"Thompson, James (1727-1812) An Irish merchant in New York who helped plan the Spencer Riot and set up as a merchant at Monte Cristi and Cape Francois"

No entry for Gregg. James Thompson came from a Newry, County Down based merchant family, where he first started his business, before moving to New York, where his import goods were supplied in part by other Newry-based family members and merchants. He then came back from the USA to Derry where he set up as a merchant and was successful.

Newry was pre-eminent in trade with the USA and West Indies until a canal was created between Belfast and Lough Neagh - prior to this the Newry Canal linking the town to Lough Neagh was opened in 1742. Once the Belfast link was set up Newry's trade declined.

DIPPAM has some newspaper adverts online for "James Thompson and Andrew Gregg, merchants" in Derry, stating in 1767.

There are also some Newry GREGG entries in the Familysearch Community Trees Project for Newry, and the Belfast Newsletter Index has results for a combination of "Gregg" as a surname and "ballymoney" as a place (while the index is free you need and Ancestry account to view the pages.

HTH
Jim


 

[TheWhuttle]

Frances,

'Tis a very interesting story this!

There is a list of the heads of familes of the folks who emigrated aboard the five ships.
[James and Mary, Lord Dunluce, Pennsylvania Farmer, Hopewell, Free Mason]
http://boydroots.net/downloads/MartinPassengers.pdf

Their possible Irish geographical origins can be narrowed from the descriptions of the Reverend Martin's stomping grounds. He was minister of Kellswater Reformed Presbyterian Church from 1760 to 1772, but had charge of several other Covenanter congregations.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=41327195
http://boydroots.net/si_martin.html

Places he preached in included:
Ballylaggan
Ballymoney
Ballyrashane
Bangor
Cloughmills
Cullybackey
Donegore
Dervock
Drimbolg
Kellswater
Kilraughts
Kirkhills
Laymore
Roughfort

Apparently, most of the emigrants hailed from Ballymoney, Kilraughts, Derrykeighan, Ballyrashane, the Vow and Kellswater.

----
The Reverend William MARTIN has a mention (P. 188), alongside Samuel DOAK, as preachers of fiery sermons which inspired their congregations to take up arms against the forces of The Crown.

Eagle's Wings, The journey of the Ulster Scots and Scotch-Irish
Dr David Hume MBE
Colourpoint 2011
ISBN 978-1-906578-96-1

A great book about the plight/flight of the Scotch-Irish written by a native of Ballycarry, near Larne, who was a key player in organising the twinning of Larne with Clover and York County in South Carolina.

Its title derives from The Eagle Wing, built in Groomsport, Co. Down, which attempted to take two congregations to America in 1636, having to turn back.  During the 18thC at least 300,000 Ulster Presbyterians succeeded where it had failed.

----
Recall that King George III bemoaned the loss of his American colonies, which "had run away with a Presbyterian Minister".
[Not sure whether he was referring to DOAK, MARTIN or someone else.]

----

The Reverend Martin named his church "Catholic", because it was to be used by all.
[The secular meaning of "catholic" is "universal".]

Was much struck by the parallels with Edward IRVING (buried Glasgow Cathedral), who came out of the same Scottish Covenanter tradition later, and who had strong opinions and a colourful career - founding the Catholic Apostolic Church.
Blinded Eagle
H.C.WHITLEY
SCM Press 1955

----
James WHITTLE (of Glenavy) had extensive trading links with America.
He spent his last years in the old manse at Muckamore, near Antrim, with Jane GREG (daughter of John GREG) as his helper.
[Not aware that the families were in trade together though.]

His eldest son William WHITTLE returned to Belfast from New York in 1803.
His son Conway WHITTLE went out shortly after the war with France finished in 1763.
He was based in Boston & Baltimore.
His son Fortescue WHITTLE also emigrated to Norfolk, retiring later to Mecklenberg county.

Capt. Jock & Revving Jock

[Elwyn Soutter]

William Greg was given land in S.C. the U.S.A. in Newberry co. His wife's name was Jane.
I am only guessing that William and family came from Lisburn, Londonderry, or Coleraine. I have no idea how far apart these places are, but they knew Rev. martin so I'd say they were of his congregation.

The distance from Coleraine to Lisburn is about 60 miles.

Though I agree that the family might have been part of the Rev Martin’s congregation, it doesn’t follow that all the passengers that he took to America were. He advertised for passengers in the Belfast Newsletter, and so some may have come from almost anywhere in Ulster.

Rev Martin was the first, and for a while the only, Reformed Presbyterian (aka Covenanter) Minister in Ireland, so his congregation were scattered across hundreds of miles.

"The Rev. William Martin was the only Covenanter minister in counties Down and Antrim at that time. In 1760 he resided at Kellswater, in the townland of Carnaghts in the Parish of Connor. He had oversight responsibility for societies at Cullybackey, Laymore, Cloughmills, and Dervock. He preached also in Londonderry and Donegal. The Presbytery was founded in 1743 and Kellswater became the center in 1760." (Source - Scotch-Irish Migration to South Carolina, 1772: Reverend William Martin And His Five Shiploads of Settlers. Jean Stephenson. Shenandoah Publishing House. 1970.)

If the family were part of the Rev Martin’s congregation, then the next snag is that the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Ireland has no surviving baptism or marriage records for any congregation in the 1700s, and so that’s a major stumbling block to researching the family via church records.

Researching ancestors who left Ireland in the 1700s can be very difficult. This won't be an easy one to solve.

[aghadowey]

I think Ballylaggan Reformed Presbyterian Church does have baptismal records starting before 1800 but I can't remember the exact date (and I was told years ago that it's not the only R.P. Church that has such old records).